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Gateway 

Community 

College 



Gateway Library News 
Fall 2011 



Volume 5 
Issue 1 



“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. ” -John Dewey 

Library Begins Transition Activities 



Welcome to the 2011 Fall Semester! Members of the Library staff have been spending the summer preparing for 
Fall Semester as well as beginning the transition of library activities for our new building. Among many new tech- 
nologies we are expecting in our new facility, the Library will be implementing a Radio Frequency Identification 
(RFID) technology to automate our circulation and management of library materials. Our goal in this innovative 
initiative is to enhance the library experiences of the increasing number of our students and community users by 
providing a self-checkout system that will allow for stacks of items to be checked out simultaneously, as well as 
providing faster and more efficient searching for holds, lost items, unresolved security issues, and for conducting 
proper and regular shelf management. In order to convert our library to an RFID system, all library materials 
must be tagged and programmed, and in 2012 our new Self- Checks will read the information on the RFID tags 
and bar code on library cards, allowing card holders to check out their own materials more quickly and easily. The 
library staff members started this intensive project this summer, and our goal is to RFID tag 100% of our circulat- 
ing collection by the end of Spring semester, and to install most of the new staff workstations and self-checks in 
the new building. So far all LW Library materials (about 32,000 items) have been successfully tagged and con- 
version of NH materials is in progress. 

Also, in preparation for the move in 2012, the library has begun evaluating and streamlining its reserves collec- 
tion. This is being done to ensure that students have access to the most useful, timely, and relevant course mate- 
rials possible. At the conclusion of the Spring 2012 semester, the library will migrate to a new single-campus da- 
tabase. During this migration, the entire reserve database will be taken down, and a new one built. This new 
database will be set up to best facilitate student, faculty, and staff searches for relevant course materials. 

-Dr. Clara A. Ogbaa, Director of Library Services 



New This Fall! 

The library has recently acquired some exciting new resources which will enhance services to students, faculty 
and staff. They include a streaming video database, iPads and e-Readers, an upgrade to the electronic sub- 
ject/course guides subscription, and a mobile web page. 

Films on Demand: This database subscription features a comprehensive collection of over 7,000 educational vid- 
eos in subjects across the curriculum and provides faculty the ability to embed links to videos in Blackboard. To 
access this database on-campus go to the library’s homepage and click on “Articles/Databases”, or off-campus log 
into MyCommnet and click the Library tab. 

iPads & e-Readers: The library has recently acquired five iPads in addition to the Kindle and Nook e-Readers. 
These devices come preloaded with many ebook titles in various genres and are available for loan to students, fac- 
ulty and staff. 

Libguides: These electronic research guides, created by Gateway librarians, have been upgraded to Campus- 
Guides for increased functionality and features such as browsing by group or subject. Faculty, to request a guide 
for your course, go to the library’s homepage and click on Library Forms in the left-hand column. 

Mobile Web Page: You can now use your smartphone to check the library’s hours or directions, look up items in 
the catalog, use our ASK a question service, or search a library database. Click on the Mobile Web Page link from 
the library’s homepage to access. 




Book Review 




Abraham Verghese’s Cutting for Stone hooks the reader with its first sentence. This 
multi-layered novel of family and medicine dissolves ethnicity in a setting of political 
extremism and poverty. In an Ethiopian mission, conjoined twins are born to a nun 
who dies in childbirth and a British surgeon who separates his sons then disappears. 
Out of the turbulence, two Indian doctors and the boys spontaneously form a family, 
which Verghese portrays as both quirky and loving. The brothers, although genetically 
identical, have different characters and temperaments. Their love and lust for the 
beautiful Genet, causes a breach when one brother betrays the other. In a rich, pictur- 
esque prose, Marion, the brother who emulates his missing father by becoming a skilled 
surgeon, narrates the story and captures the love and loyalty among the small commu- 
nity within the mission hospital. His brother, Shiva, also practices medicine specializ- 
ing in women maimed during childbirth. During one period of political upheaval, Mari- 
on flees from Ethiopia with the help of revolutionary guerillas, including Genet. 
Arriving in New York, a low-income New York hospital immediately hires him, and 



eventually he encounters his lost father, a renowned surgeon, who gradually becomes his mentor. In the end, 
he must trust both his father and estranged brother to save him. This book is a must-read for those who like 
a novel that keeps readers involved and makes them reluctant to let go when it ends. 



—Virginia Woolums, Professor of English 



LibQual Library Survey 

The LibQual Library Survey was sent out in May to a 
sample population of Gateway faculty, staff, and students. 
Survey questions concerned the ease or difficulty accessing 
tools and information, physical space and environment, 
helpfulness and competency of staff, and included space 
for personal remarks. 

The Library received 315 valid responses to the survey, 
and 136 participants provided additional comments. Ser- 
vices offered by the staff registered the highest scores, ac- 
companied by a large number of positive comments about 
the Libraries’ performance as a whole. 

The Libraries’ space that inspires study and learning and 
modern equipment that lets individuals access needed in- 
formation did not fare as well, with many participants ex- 
pressing a desire for additional resources. Participants 
also indicated a strong need for more attractive surround- 
ings in the Library, more space conducive to quiet individ- 
ual study, and more computer and technology equipment. 

Raffle prizes were awarded to six lucky people for their 
participation in the survey. 

1st prize: Brian Cherrington - Apple iPod Touch 

2nd prize: Rachel Williams - Sony eReader 

3rd prize: Yair Arbeli - Sony eReader 

4th prize: Mark Lynch - Sony eReader 

5th prize: Rosemary Lovallo - Kingston USB drive 

6th prize: Megan Christopher - Kingston USB drive 



Librarian’s Pick 




Gateway 
Library Mobile 
Webpage 



Use your smartphone and a 
barcode reader app to scan 
the code above and go to the 
Library’s mobile web page. 




Page 3 



Increase in Library Services and Resources for FY2011 

Last year proved to be another very busy year in the library as the statistics below indicate. Here is a sam- 
pling of services and resources utilized by the college community in the previous fiscal year. To view addi- 
tional library statistics go to the library’s homepage and click on Annual Report. 

• Over 300,000 visitors to the library • 4,640 hours open for business 

• 257,668 hits to the library homepage • 3,176 ebook titles added to the collection 

• Over 135,000 database searches executed • 2,124 print titles added to the collection 

• 16,384 items lent out • 1,299 interlibrary loans processed 

• 5,311 reference questions answered • 153 information literacy classes taught 

Library Staff Professional Development 



Dr. Clara Ogbaa, Director of Gateway’s Library, and three faculty members, Carol Brutza, Jonah Cohen, and 
Martha Hayes, attended the Kroc Faculty Institute’s ’’Teaching Peace in the 21st Century” on June 19-23, 
2011 at the University of Notre Dame. Kroc Institute is the leading center for the interdisciplinary study of 
the causes of violent conflict and strategies for a sustainable peace. This intense program focused on the spe- 
cial challenge of teaching and learning Peace Studies in order to develop a stellar program at institutions as 
well as the role of the library in Peace Studies Program Development. Attendees were educators and admin- 
istrators from seventeen colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. 

Funds were provided through the Professional Development Grants from the Gateway Foundation. 

Shauna Carrano, Jianxin Yang and Martha Lipowski attended a symposium at Yale University, Changes 
and Tensions in Teaching and Technology, on June 9, 2011. 

Jianxin Yang and Dr. Clara Ogbaa attended the annual Association of College and Research Libraries Con- 
ference in Philadelphia, April 1 -April 2, 2011. 

Karen Kramer attended the annual Computers in Libraries Conference in Washington D.C., March 21-23, 
2011. 




Staff Happenings 



Danielle Harris-Martin 
and husband Leo wel- 
comed their first child, 
Leah Nicole, born on 
Mother’s Day, May 8, 
2011. Danielle, a student 
worker in the library, is 
majoring in General 
Studies and her husband 
Leo is also a Gateway 
student. 



Michele Cone, former 
Gateway Library Direc- 
tor for almost 30 years, 
welcomed the birth of 
her first grandchild on 
Aug. 2, 2011. Eleanor 
Cassandra, daughter of 
Jenny and Bill Ruth, 
weighed 91bs. lOoz and 
was 21” long. 




Both babies and parents are doing great. Congratulations from the Gateway community! 





Student Focus 



Page 4 



This semester’s Student Focus is on Mario Fasano. Born and raised in New Haven but 
currently residing in Wallingford, Mario is dedicated to achieving his educational goals 
and helping others who are trying to do the same. Walking the halls of the Long Wharf 
campus you’re sure to run into him and likely to be greeted with a hug or a handshake. 

His mantra, “Giving is better than receiving,” is something he does not take lightly and 
practices on a daily basis. Even with his busy schedule, Mario is always ready and will- 
ing to mentor other students who are struggling, sharing with them the challenges he 
faced in his life. 

Mario became a father twice while in high school but still managed to graduate from 
Notre Dame with a sports scholarship to Yale. He ended up postponing college to help 

run his father’s grocery store and spent the last 33 years as owner and operator of five businesses. He openly admits he 
made some very bad decisions in the past, resulting in serious consequences. His epiphany came one day when sitting at 
home and out of work because of a disability. That day he decided to go back to school and reignite his passion for learn- 
ing, after 30 years. 

When Mario started at Gateway in Summer 2010 he had never used a computer. There were times that tested his commit- 
ment and fortitude, but he persevered. In his second semester he made the Dean’s list and has earned a 3.71 GPA. He’s 
currently working on two majors - DARC and Liberal Arts and Sciences - and hopes to graduate by Fall 2012. His plans 
are to transfer to SCSU or UCONN after graduating, and he hopes to someday take a class at Yale. Mario is a student 
worker in the Counseling Office, a volunteer tutor for Math and English, a student mentor for NSAR, and also plans on 
becoming more involved in Student Government in the Fall. 

Mario has four children whom he is proud to say have all graduated from college, and three grandchildren. He credits his 
faith with getting him back on the right path and helping him through the rough patches. In hindsight, he admits he 
would have made some better choices but says it’s made him who he is today. His advice to others who may have reserva- 
tions about starting or returning to school; “There’s no reason anyone coming into this setting can’t succeed. If I can do it, 
anybody can do it”. Words of wisdom from someone who’s been there. Mario can be reached at 203-214-1246. 





Explore , Inquire , Discover & Learn 

@ 

GWCC Library 



Library staff members welcome our 
students, faculty and staff. 

Your library just got better! 
Stop by for all your information & 
research needs. 




All editions of the library newsletter are 
available online — go to the library’s 
homepage and click on “Newsletter. ’ 




Gateway Library 

Long Wharf Campus 
203-285-2057 

North Haven Campus 
203-285-2340 

email: library@gwcc.commnet.edu 

Text A Librarian at 
203-212-8329 




Fall Semester Hours 



Long Wharf 


North Haven 


Mon & Wed 


7:45-8:00 


Mon -Thu 8:00-8:00 


Tues& Thu 


7:15-8:00 




Fri 


7:45-6:00 


Fri 8:00-3:00 


Sat 


9:00-3:00